Sent to me by a recent Wharton Graduate. We’re getting a beer next week after work. The future of this country hinges on the Millenial generation. They are overwhelmingly being drawn to Ron Paul and his ideas of liberty, freedom and personal responsiblity. Does any other candidate generate the enthusiasm and dedication of his followers? There are millions of young people out there seeking the truth.
Ron Paul’s Ideas Spark the Imaginations of America’s Millennial Generation
The following is an unabridged version of an op-ed written by South Central Regional Director Clint Townsend, originally published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 3, 2012:
Eleanor Roosevelt once said that “poor minds talk about other people, average minds talk about events, and great minds talk about ideas.”
If you listen to the speeches of the Republican presidential candidates, you will likely notice a lot of talk about other people, with the exception of one, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.
At any given Paul campaign rally, you will not leave without hearing about the ideas that are central to his campaign: individual liberty, free markets, peace and limited government. Indeed, this has harmed his status as an electable candidate. Truthfully, the media probably isn’t far off as they have routinely reminded the public that Paul will never win. After all, he has no particular affinity for the electable qualities of politically expedient bromides and platitudes expected from today’s politicians. While Paul may not win the nomination, there is something else up for grabs far more significant than the presidency; it is the chance to shape the hearts and minds of the next generation, and to that end Paul and his ideas will win a landslide victory.
It baffles many pundits that so many in Generation Y — the millennials — espouse the principles of Paul. You see, it isn’t about the man himself. Undoubtedly, Paul as an individual has shortcomings. Rather, it is Paul’s ideas that attract the rising generation.
We are worried about the sustainability of social safety nets, and Paul is one of the few voices saying we should be allowed to save and invest our money as we see fit. We have grown up under the conditions of perpetual warfare and are growing weary of it. Ultimately, we want to see government returned to a more proper role of maintaining the integrity of the free market and protecting civil liberties.
Young people aren’t just talking the talk, we’re walking the walk. If you haven’t been to a college campus lately you may be surprised that the most active political organizations are those dedicated to the principles that Paul’s campaign has made popular. I am amazed to see the growth of interest among my generation in the ideas of liberty since my work on his 2008 campaign.
An intellectual revolution that is manifesting in the form of a highly mobilized and energetic youth movement has developed since that time. Each week, hundreds of student groups across the country meet to discuss topics varying from the flaws of command-and-control economic policies to the proper role of government in regulating personal habits. For the past four years a national organization known as Students For Liberty has hosted conferences across the country, bringing together like-minded students to learn about social and economic freedom. The most recent series of conferences received over 1500 students. My personal experience organizing the Texas Forum for Freedom, a network of pro-liberty student groups across the state, meets at different locations within Texas three times per semester and is growing in size and excitement. This February young people from across the country will descend upon Washington, D.C. for the Fifth Annual International Students For Liberty Conference, a gathering expected to surpass 700 students. During the summer hundreds of students attend seminars at a number of institutions dedicated to teaching the ideas of free market figures like Robert Nozick, Ayn Rand, and Nobel laureates F. A. Hayek and Milton Friedman.
As a college student and experienced student organizer, I can personally attest to the profound effect of Paul’s presidential candidacy on America’s future movers and shakers, the consequences of which are much further reaching than any single election. I’m reminded of the rise of the progressive movement nearly 100 years ago. Undoubtedly, the intellectual and political victories of big government began among student groups. The energy and ideas spread from the university to the broader public and put pressure on Washington, D.C., to react with harmful programs that continue to burden our country.
Young libertarians: the true heritage of the Ron Paul Revolution
Or take the example of Barry Goldwater’s unsuccessful 1964 White House bid, a campaign that attracted youth, that ultimately manifested in the form of the Reagan revolution only 16 years later. Likewise, Paul’s influence on my generation will inevitably bring a shift toward free-market capitalism and greater individual liberty.
It’s OK that media elites write off Paul as the Republican Party’s crazy uncle. They’re right that he won’t win the nomination. But who cares? Ultimately, defenders of the status quo will be obligated to heed the forces of a sleeping giant — a restless minority of young people keen on reestablishing a vision of America that doesn’t fit within the confines of the current debate. It is this battle for the future that Ron Paul wins. This is one victory the establishment can’t deny.
Dragline says:
“It baffles many pundits that so many in Generation Y — the millennials — espouse the principles of Paul.”
It shouldn’t — they don’t want to go and die in another needless war. The MIllennials will vote for the candidate whom they believe will be least likely to start another war. That’s why they mostly lined up behind Obama last time, although he hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype.
“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.” — Julius Caesar
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8th February 2012 at 9:45 am
GBrooks says:
Please stop saying he can’t win. It makes you no better than the other sheeple fed journalist. Otherwise a decent article.
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8th February 2012 at 9:49 am
Dragline says:
Actually, RP probably has the best chance of winning simply on demographics. Only the Millennial vote is really “up for grabs” and there will be even more of that generation voting in the next election. Almost all of the older folks will vote the same as they did last time.
Reminded me of when they were interviewing a group of people from South Carolina watching the New Hampshire primary. The one younger guy said he was going with Ron Paul and if RP did not get the nomination, he would vote for Obama. And the reporter acted surprised — the talking heads just don’t get it.
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8th February 2012 at 9:59 am
jmarz says:
The movement is far stronger than MSM can comprehend. It is all about educating one person at a time and allowing the compounding effect to take hold. In 2008, I would talk to friends about Ron Paul and they just didn’t care to listen nor did they care about politics. Now many are listening and many are understanding. My wife just jumped on board as a Ron Paul supporter. She finally took the time to listen to Ron Paul in most of the debates and realized she agreed with him on most of his policies. Recently, she even said that she is annoyed how Fox News and CNN never mention Ron Paul!!!
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8th February 2012 at 10:11 am
Kill Bill says:
DONT FORGET TO HAVE YOUR HEART ATTACK ON A PLATE FAT ASS
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8th February 2012 at 11:40 am
Kill Bill says:
Yeh right. 76 million introverted self absorbed emos backing a paleo con will change the way DC works.
I still wish them luck in their endeavour, however.
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8th February 2012 at 11:44 am
Administrator says:
Looks like someone is still a little cranky after getting his Boomer ass kicked all over the site.
Now don’t get in a funk and down a box of yodels.
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8th February 2012 at 11:52 am
Colma Rising says:
Kill Bill: That looks yummy for my sake-pickled Tummy….
If Paul isn’t nominated, It’s going to be an Obama landslide….. The other candidates are frickin weirdos and will take an electoral pounding.
The power of the Boomer vote wanes…
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8th February 2012 at 12:12 pm
Pirate Jo says:
Paul could win, if he ditches those tards in the Republican party. If it came down to a three-way between Paul, Obama, and either Mittens or the Santorum Slick, Paul could really stand a chance of winning. Problem is, he’s stuck swimming in the Republican pool right now, and a lot of those people are warmongers, Bible-thumpers, or deeply invested in the status quo. A lot of Dems would vote for Paul, and we aren’t hearing their voices.
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8th February 2012 at 12:59 pm
AWD says:
The millenials have been fucked by everyone else, especially the boomers. They aren’t drinking the same cool aid as the boomers, and so can see reality, whereas the boomers are so fucking deluded, selfish, irresponsible and self-indulgent, they will vote only for a psychotic like Obama, Romney or Sanitorium.
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8th February 2012 at 1:12 pm
Kill Bill says:
Admin, this is TBP.
And its not my ass that hurts but that cur tail embedded [kicked] between your mangy thighs =)
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8th February 2012 at 5:51 pm
Kill Bill says:
Ennyhoo, out of 76 million echo boomers, born in a set time period, how many do you think self describe as libertarian? I wager less than half.
And they will be, if they are not careful, co-opted by the same scoundrels that co-opted the fundamentalists and conservative groups to get Duhbya elected.
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8th February 2012 at 5:55 pm
willdogz says:
What is that shit (food) in the photo ? That’s the nastiest stuff I have ever seen. Looks like barf with bread sticks.
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8th February 2012 at 7:02 pm
Kill Bill says:
Thats a Philly Cheese Steak
~~~
The co-opter;
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8th February 2012 at 7:09 pm
Kill Bill says:
Another GIF I made =)
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8th February 2012 at 7:19 pm
Novista says:
Colma
where is that fucking “Starship Troopers” post (the book, BOC)
We really should have a smackdown on the right to vote.
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8th February 2012 at 10:02 pm